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Mercedes-Benz 300 SL - the tamed racing car for the chic crowd of the sixties

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Created on April 19, 2011

Reading time 5min

Written by:

Bruno von Rotz

Photos:

Daniel Reinhard

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Bruno von Rotz

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Daniel Reinhard

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Bruno von Rotz

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Mercedes-Benz 300 SL (1960) - breitbeinig und wohlproportioniert

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Mercedes-Benz 300 SL (1960) - ohne Anstrengungen zu fahren

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Mercedes-Benz 300 SL (1960) - Vorbeifahrt von hinten

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Mercedes-Benz 300 SL (1960) - Ansicht von vorne

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Mercedes-Benz 300 SL (1960) - wunderschöne Linienführung

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Mercedes-Benz 300 SL (1960) - der SL war mit oder ohne Stossstangen lieferbar

Bild von Partner Planai Classic 2025 Inline 1

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Mercedes-Benz 300 SL (1960) - Länge und Kühlöffnungen kennzeichnen den 300 SL

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Mercedes-Benz 300 SL (1960) - Klassische Armaturen - Tacho bis 270 kmh

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Mercedes-Benz 300 SL (1960) - der Rohrrahmen erfordert Kompromisse beim Einstieg

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Mercedes-Benz 300 SL (1958) - Abbildung aus dem Verkaufsprospekt von 1958

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Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Roadster (1958) - das Dach lässt sich mühelos öffnen - Abbildung aus dem Verkaufsprospekt von 1958

Bild von Partner Porsche AMAG November Foto-Galerie 2025

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Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Roadster (1958) - Darstellung des Rohrrahmens und der Hinterachskonstruktion - Verkaufsprospekt von 1958

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Mercedes-Benz 300 SL (1953) - der Rennwagen war die Basis für die späteren Strassensportwagen

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Mercedes-Benz 300 SL (1954) - Produktion des 300 SL im Mercedes-Werk

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Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Coupé (1958) - Cabriolet mit Hardtop als Coupé-Version

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Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Roadster (1957) - ein elegantes Fahrzeug

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Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Roadster (1957) - unter dem Torbogen

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Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Roadster (1960) - im stimmigen Ambiente

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Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Roadster (1957) - mit Sturmhaube ist man auf jeden Fall korrekt gekleidet

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Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Roadster (1957) - offene frühe Version des 300 SL

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Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Roadster (1957) - das Interieur des 300 SL Roadsters mit dem zentralen Einblick-Instrument

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Mercedes-Benz 300 SL (1960) - der W198 zusammen mit seinem Neffen dem R107 300 SL

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Mercedes-Benz 300 SL - Stirling Moss am Steuer

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Summary

The Mercedes-Benz 300 SL embodied the super sports car of the late 1950s. As a roadster, it was more refined than the even more famous Gullwing, but it remained a road-going sports car derived directly from a racing car. After all, it had become so comfortable that the world's celebrities all bought one.

This article contains the following chapters

The roots in racing
First the coupé, then the convertible
Modern and refined to drive
One of the fastest cars of its time
But the brakes
Orgy of sound
Why was the car so interesting for the "Who's Who"?

Estimated reading time: 5min

Preview (beginning of the article)

Romy Schneider drove a Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Roadster, and together with Alain Delon they are even pictured in a photo driving the car. They were not the only celebrities to own a 300 SL at the end of the early 1960s. Clark Gable, Gina Lollobridgida, Zsa Zsa Gabor, Juan Peron, Gunter Sachs, Juan Manuel Fangio and Herbert von Karajan, to name but a few, all drove 300 SLs. And that just made the car even more valuable! The W198, as Mercedes-Benz called the model series, was already very expensive. A Gullwing changed hands for USD 1 million at an auction in the States in January 2011 and even the less sought-after convertible version, which lacks the famous gullwing doors, hardly ever changes hands for less than CHF 400,000. Yet the vehicles are not even that rare. Almost 3,300 were built, the majority of which were convertible versions. A Shelby Corba or a Ferrari 250 GT Lusso are much rarer and still don't fetch significantly higher prices. There must be a reason for this!

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